Marah!--Turning Bitter experiences into Sweet Memories
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We must accept the fact at once that the Marah experiences of bitterness come to us all everywhere. Perhaps you are at Marah now, in the place of bitterness, trial, affliction and sorrow. Why has God brought you there ? What is His object in all this ? Has it just happened ? Did it just happen that as the Children of Israel travelled on they ran into this unfortunate experience of the bitter water ? Or did God allow it to happen because He had some purpose in it?

In Exodus 15:23-25 we have an illustration of the Lord's willingness and of His ability to take the bitter experiences of life and to fill them with heavenly sweetness. We make a great mistake if we view these Old Testament historical portions simply as ancient history, for, as Romans 15:4 reminds us, these things "were written for our learning", and as I Corinthians 10:11 says, these things are written for our admonition." We should therefore ask the question: What lessons should we learn from God 's dealing with His ancient people ? In this portion of scripture there are at least four lessons for us, and the first is:

1. THE PROVING WE MUST ANTICIPATE: God did allow it to happen, for we read that " He led them forth by the right way"(Psalm 107:7). So Marah came in the pathway of His choice for His children, and we are told in Exodus 15:25 that the Lord did this to prove them (Deuteronomy 8:2). God does not send trials to distress us; He loves us far too much for that. But He sends them and permits them in order to prove us, to humble us, to see whether we really love Him and to effect a work of sanctificatlon in us. The trials He sends are varied, just as they were in the case of Children of Israel. They not only experienced bitter waters but sometimes they had no water or no bread. On other occasions it was the attack of their enemies which distressed them. Some of these trials were very severe, as they are severe often times in the lives of God's people today. This, then, is the proving we must all experience. We cannot escape from it, and really and truly we should not try to escape, because if God is doing something in our lives we should be able to say, "Lord, go on with what You are doing !".This leads us to our second thought:

2. THE PERIL WE MUST AVOID:- The Israelites reacted in a most unfortunate way(Exodus 15:24). They were upset and began to complain against God's servant, and of course against God Himself. It is a fatal tendency of our fallen human nature to grumble and to "murmur". The word "murmur" is made up of two sounds 'mur-mur': so when we murmur, instead of trusting in God we are behaving like babies : or, as one has said, "We turn from being minstrels to becoming mutineers!". At one moment the children of Israel were singing and praising God for His deliverance, but the next moment they were murmuring against Him (Acts. 13: 18). How long has God suffered our manners ? Are we ill-mannered children, and does God suffer it all ? He does: but this Is not the right way to react when trials and testings come into our lives, for It is unbelief that makes us murmur and complain. It is when we look at our circumstances instead of looking to the Lord that we fall into sin and bring dishonour upon Him.(Mark 4:35-41). The question the Lord always puts to us when "we sink in life's alarms' is, " why don't you trust Me?". This leads us to our third point:

3.THE PROCEDURE WE MUST ADOPT:- If the peril which we must avoid is murmuring, what is the procedure which we must adopt in order to get the victory over the temptation to murmur ? It is clearly indicated in verse 25 - we must pray. Moses did not rebuke the people; Instead, he went right into the presence of God and committed the whole matter to Him. And notice another thing. Moses did not resign! He could have said "I can't carry on with the responsibility of leading this great company of fretting, murmuring people !". But he did not do that; he related the need to the Lord Himself. Over and over again in the scriptures we find this very principle operating. This is the way of victory. We must expect God's proving; and instead of murmuring we must turn to the Lord in prayer. When Moses prayed the Lord showed him a remedy, for we read in verse 25, "He cried unto the Lord: and the Lord showed him a tree," Prayer brings revelation, and prayer brings divine provision. God's remedy for our bitterness is a tree, and that leads us to our last point:

4. THE PANACEA WE MUST APPLY:- A panacea is a universal medicine, a remedy for all ills; and the tree which was revealed to Moses, and which he was told to throw into the bitter waters, is symbolic of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the "righteous Branch" (Jeremiah 23:5), and it is symbolic of His cross, where "He bare our sins in His own body on the tree" (I Peter 2:24). The only remedy for our ills, the only panacea which can sweeten life's bitter experiences, is found in the Person and Work of our Lord Jesus Christ, in what He is and in what He has done for us in His sufferings and sacrifice. So, if you feel embittered and afflicted come to the cross and see Him suffering there in bitter pain and anguish for you. What came out of the bitter anguish which He suffered? Why, sweetness! Sweetness indescribable! - and it will be the same for you if you will trust Him.

HOPE is not pretending that troubles don't exist... It is the trust that they will not last forever, that hurts will be healed and difficulties overcome. It is faith that a source of strength and renewal lies within to lead us through the dark to the sunshine. Be encouraged!

**********************Letter # 19 (27.5.2000).************************